Memories
by hannahtranter16
Summary: Since coming to the Farmhouse, the brothers have been missing their father immensely, and Mikey has just the thing to cheer them up. When Leo discovers that the youngest has the treasured family album, the two of them decide that it's time for a family night: to spend time together and remember the good times they had with each other and their father.
1. Chapter 1

**Here's another TMNT Story, also a part of my little series. I'm really enjoying writing for the turtles :) I think they have been some of my best :)**

 **I need to give credit to MikeyBeeLover, who gave me permission to do a variation of her story. I've changed things around a little from the prompt given, but the core of the story is the same, but be sure to check out her story too :)**

 **The basic premise is that Mikey has smuggled a photo album to the Farmhouse and has been reluctant to show his brothers because he doesn't want to upset them. But Leo finds him with it and the two of them decide to have a family night looking through it. Just a bit of fun and a couple of nice memories for them to remember.**

 **Disclaimer - I do not own the TMNT. They are owned by Nickelodeon and I merely own the story.** **  
** **Enjoy!**

* * *

With the sun beating down on them, the two eldest brothers began their sparing match. Leo had stopped using the cane for a few weeks now and was determined to get back into a routine with the activity he loved the most.

From the cool shady spot of the porch, Mikey watched avidly as his oldest brothers bowed to each other before lunging with their fists and weapons. It was nice to see his brothers get along so well. The youngest had always hated it when they fought constantly back home, but he'd noticed that since coming to the farmhouse Leo and Raph had become much closer. Almost as close as they were when they were younger. The youngest smiled as Raph helped up Leo, who had been tripped by his immediate younger. It was a shame that this newfound closeness had come from such a tragic event, but he would take it however it came.

The youngest watched his brothers for a few more minutes before he started to get bored, his short attention span craving something more interesting. Turning around, the orange cladded turtle went back inside the farmhouse to see if he could find anything to do, or someone to keep him entertained.

He walked to the entrance of the living room when he heard the raised voices of its two occupants. He peeked his head around the door to see Casey and Donnie. The TV was on, an indication that they were trying to get along, but it appeared this had gone south and the two were currently arguing about a certain red headed teen. Mikey could understand why both were determined to win her affection. Even though he didn't feel the way they did, he would still admit that April was really pretty and very smart. But he really wished they wouldn't argue constantly about it. Leo was going to have a fit if he heard them arguing again, he'd already spoken to them about it messing up team dynamics and how it made April feel uncomfortable.

Rolling his baby blue eyes, Mikey briefly thought about going into the kitchen to say Hi to Ice Cream Kitty, but knew that the best way to drown out the sounds of those two idiots arguing was to go upstairs. After climbing the stairs he went to the bedroom that he shared with Donnie and leaped onto the bed with a loud thud.

He kept fidgeting, first lying on his shell and then his plastron, continually tossing and turning. He thumped his head on his pillow in frustration, only to recoil back rubbing his now sore forehead. Reaching under his pillow, Mikey found the worn photo album that he had managed to grab during the invasion. He smiled sadly at the cracking brown leather binding. He thought that it had been the victim of a Krrang laser before he swiped it, as although it was worn originally, it was not to this extent. Still it brought back fond memories.

"Man I was so lucky to have found this," Mikey mumbled quietly. He stared at the cover which read 'Family Album' a moment more then opened it to the first page.

When they were young turtle tots Sensei never had a camera to take any pictures, but he did his level best at drawing black and white portraits of them. That is whenever they stayed still long enough for him to do it. The first few pages consisted of a portrait each, two to a page, and then one of all four of them when they were sleeping, probably the only time that they weren't all bouncing around with seemingly unlimited energy.

After the turtles seventh mutation day, Donnie had been able to find the remains of a digital camera and was able to fix it up so that they would be able to take fairly high quality photos. It wasn't HD, but it was better than before. Sensei had immediately gotten the four together to take a group shot. It was a bit blurry, but you could tell who was who.

Mikey spent the next few minutes casually flipping through the photos before reaching the final photo they had put in before the invasion. Smiling sadly and tears starting to form in his eyes, Mikey stared at the photo of himself, his brothers and their father. Splinter was standing tall with one hand resting on Leo's shoulder and the other behind his back. Leo looked very proud, also trying to stand up tall like his father. His arms were crossed in what he probably assumed was a good leader pose, since he used it quite often in their portraits, and was smiling happily. Donnie was standing next to them, a dorky toothy smile on his face as well as a faint blush dusting his cheeks. He had one hand up in a waving gesture with the other also behind his shell. Raph was kneeling on one knee in front of Leo, leaning slightly to the side as Mikey had slung an arm around him. The red-cladded brother had a smirk on his face, probably the closest he would allow himself to get to something tender in public. Mikey on the other hand was grinning broadly, his other arm sprawling out in a big wave.

Seeing his family whole and healthy brought tears to baby blue eyes, especially since he'd been having nightmares about their father. Every night this week he'd been subjected to the horrific scene of Splinter and Shredder fighting, and each night it ended a different way, but they shared one similarity: their father gone.

A quiet knock resounded through the room and Mikey was quick to stuff the photo album back under the pillow and hastily wipe the tears from his eyes. He wasn't sure how his brothers would react if they saw the album, and was afraid that if they reacted badly someone could end up damaging it. Right now it was the only thing he had to help him remember the happy times.

"Come in!"He called, mentally cursing at how his voice broke slightly. He cleared his throat to remedy this and watched as Leo entered.

"Hey Mikey, what are you doing up here?" The eldest asked, a frown forming when he saw the redness in the youngest's eyes.

"Nothing, just got bored and didn't wanna listen to D and Case going at it again,"

"Again, really?" Leo asked, a tired sigh escaping. He was getting tired of telling those two to knock it off.

Mikey just shrugged, plastering on a broad smile to divert the attention of the blue banded brother, "Come on, let get something to eat, I'm starving!"

Leo chuckled, "You're always hungry,"

"I'm a growing boy," He mimed being hurt by his brother's comment, but Leo just shook his head and rolled his eyes at the behaviour.

He watched as the orange cladded turtle leaped up from the bed, knocking the pillow and blanket askew, and a flash of brown caught his eye. It was hard to miss again the contrast of the white sheets on the bed.

He walked over, "What's that?" Mikey noticed where he was going and immediately grabbed his hand.

"Er it's nothing, come on we gotta get down there before the others eat everything," But Leo wasn't going to be so easily diverted.

Yanking his hand out of the youngest's grip, he quickly jumped onto the bed himself and moved the fluffy pillow to reveal the brown photo album underneath. Gaping, Leo tentatively picked up the book as if it were made of glass and turned it over in his hands.

"Where did you get this?" He asked breathlessly. Mikey looked down at the floor, hands behind his back as he kicked the ground nervously.

"From the lair,"

Eyes still fixed to the album, Leo turned around on the bed to face his brother, "You've had this the whole time?"

Mikey winced at the slight accusation, but noted that the eldest sounded more upset than angry, "Yeah,"

Finally looking up, eyes starting to brim with unshed tears, Leo got up and hugged the youngest. Truth was he'd been missing Father so much these past few days and although he had the rat's face committed to memory, it was so much better to actually see it, even if it was a picture. Startled, Mikey managed to steady himself before he ended up on his shell. He patted his eldest brother's shell awkwardly until he let go.

"This is great," Leo was smiling happily. He knew that all of them were seriously missing their father right now, and something like this would not only be a great way to remember, but would be a good way to get everyone together and talk about something positive for a change.

"Why did you hide this from us?" He asked softly, putting an arm around Mikey who was now sitting on the bed looking disquieted. He wasn't angry at the youngest, not by a long shot, but was curious, since Mikey wouldn't normally hide something like this.

"I didn't want to make anyone sad bro," He said quietly. The first few weeks there was barely a mention of their Sensei, they were either preoccupied with making the house habitable or taking care of a comatose brother. Leo smiled sympathetically.

"You won't. I think this is just what we need right now, a way to focus on the positives,"

"Yeah, but what if someone ruins it, it's all we have right now,"

"Is that what you were worried about?"

"You didn't see Raph and Donnie when we first arrived. They were both really angry and sad. I didn't want to show it to them in case they ruined it,"

Leo nodded. He might not have been awake, but that didn't mean he was naive to how his brothers might react, particularly when angry. Both had been known to do or say something they regretted later. However, they had been burying the topic of their father for long enough. April had told him that the first time it was mentioned properly was when he'd woken up and asked about him. Leo had tried to get them to open up about what had happened and entertain the idea that Splinter was still alive, which while it had been a slow process, did seem to be working. That or they were humouring him, which he didn't mind, as long as everyone kept an open mind about it.

"I'll make sure they don't," Mikey looked up to his brother, and seeing the reassuring smile he started beaming too. He took the album back from Leo and started for the door until the eldest spoke again.

"Perhaps after dinner would be best," He thought about it for a moment and agreed, it was when everyone was usually at their most relaxed. So he skipped back over to his bed to hide it back under the pillow.

Offering his hand, Mikey helped Leo stand up. Even though it had been a few weeks since he'd stopped using the cane, they were all still making sure that their brother didn't fall or slip, a bit paranoid of him re-injuring. Leo accepted it gratefully and they went back down to the lounge.

They were greeted with the sounds of continued argument. Leo rolled his eyes and slung his arm around Mikey's shoulder, giving it a squeeze. He knew that the youngest despised arguments and he smiled reassuringly again. Mikey leaned into the elder's plastron, tucking his head under his chin.

"It's okay," He whispered, kissing the younger's head before moving away.

"I'm gonna make you eat those words!" The human teen exclaimed, reaching behind his back to find a hockey stick, only to find it not there. He'd forgotten that Leo had forbidden him from having them in the farmhouse except for training after the TV remote incident.

"Oh yeah?!" Donnie replied, squaring up against the human.

"Enough!" was yelled and both parties to the argument yelped in surprise, whipping round to face the eldest turtle who was standing in front, arms crossed, "You guys have got to stop, we've been over this," he said angrily.

The two looked at each other briefly then to the floor sheepishly. Casey scuffed his shoe against the wooden planks and Donnie rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Sorry Leo," Don apologised, Casey mumbling something similar when the purple cladded turtle elbowed him. Don also noticed Mikey looking sadly at them and walked over, putting his arm around the younger's shoulder and taking him into the kitchen.

Leo glared at the teen still standing in front of him briefly then sighed, patting him on the shoulder as he walked past to go outside. He found Raph sitting on the swing between the farmhouse and the barn. Walking over, he greeted the younger turtle with a wave and plopped down next to him, reveling in the warm sun that hit his skin.

"Find him?" Leo turned to Raph and smiled. The reason he'd gone into the farmhouse in the first place was to find their youngest brother to see if he wanted to join in on the spar.

"Yeah,"

"Didn't he want to join in on the fun?" Leo smirked. Raph just wanted revenge from that morning when Mikey had somehow woken up before all of them to grab one of the roosters from the barn and use it as an alarm clock. Leo didn't mind being woken up, but then again he wasn't the one with the rooster on his head. Or rooster... droppings on his pillow.

"Nah, he had to listen to Casey and Don going at it again,"

"Again really?" Raph sighed dramatically. Leo nodded.

"Don took him into the kitchen, probably gonna make him a hot chocolate as apology,"

Raph nodded understandingly. Hot chocolate was one sure fire way to cheer up the youngest. They stayed as they were until April spotted them and came over.

"Thought you were supposed to be sparing, not sitting here sunbathing," She said huffily. Leo had sent her on a training run through the forest, Raph having set up an obstacle course of some sort beforehand. She was boiling in the sun, her red hair sticking to her face and clothes rolled up to try and cool down.

Raph smirked, "Not us who needs the training princess," April scoffed, although she didn't need to hit him with her tessen. Leo whacked him upside the head.

"There's no such thing as enough training Raph," He chided, in a very Master Splinter like tone. Raph rubbed his now aching head and scowled. Now it was April's turn to smirk.

"How did I do?" She asked the eldest turtle. Leo looked at the time on his T-Phone.

"Not too shabby, about 23 minutes,"

"Aw" She whined, "Casey did it in 20," Leo smiled sympathetically, though had to hold in a chuckle at her reaction.

"Better luck next time sweetheart," Raph was smirking again and April knew he was mocking her, if only in a jovial way.

"If Casey asks, I did it in 15," Leo and Raph exchanged mischievous looks and giggled, both agreeing as it would be much funnier to see Casey's reaction when losing to a girl.

April attempted to plop herself down on the swing in between the turtles. However Raph had yet to finish messing with the red head and promptly closed the gap between him and his older brother, causing the teen to fall in the dirt on her behind.

The red head glared at the snort that escaped the blue banded brother before turning to pull the rude hot-head off the swing by the leg. Raph yelped and flailed about, but ended up pinned by the human teen who smirked smugly.

Leo was well and truly lost to laughter at this point, impressed by April's show of strength and use of surprise attack, though mostly just amused at Raph being bested. The red cladded turtle did his own share of glaring at the eldest. He shifted and yanked Leo off the swing as well, the older turtle tumbling down in between them.

"Whoa!" the turtle exclaimed, his arms flailing also, trying to find an anchor. On instinct he landed on his side, his leg landing first. Unfortunately, it was his bad leg. The turtle hissed when pain shot up his leg and knee.

"Oh man Leo, I didn't mean..." Raph started, but Leo held up a hand to stop him. He took a breath then sat up, patting his brother on the shoulder.

"I know, it's fine,"

"You sure, maybe Donnie should take a look,"

"If it'll stop you worrying,"

"D'ya say he was in the kitchen?"

"Yeah he..." But Leo didn't get to finish as Raph hefted him into his arms and walked towards the farmhouse.

"Raph put me down, I can walk," the elder whined. He didn't appreciate being babied, especially since he was no longer using the cane to walk around. Raph ignored him, merely tightening his hold. Leo knew this was Raph's way of making up for hurting him in the first place, but that didn't make it any less embarrassing.

The turtle didn't stop grumbling all the way until Raph set him down on the sofa, a red tint on his cheeks when he spotted Casey channel hopping on one of the armchairs. The younger immediately began fussing, grabbing a pouffe to put under his leg as well as a cushion to elevate it. He called for their resident doctor, who rushed in from the kitchen, their youngest brother in tow.

"What happened?"

"Nothing serious Don, it's not that bad," Leo assured him. Raph, shifted uncomfortably next to the sofa.

"I got a bit too rough," He admitted, not quite meeting the purple banded brother's eyes.

Donnie tsked and shook his head, but otherwise said nothing. Removing the knee pad from their injured brother, Don checked it over and found it was a bit swollen, but otherwise it didn't appear to have been badly damaged.

"Try to be more careful, you don't want to re-injure it," Raph wasn't sure if Don was talking to him or Leo, but he would make sure at least one of them would be more careful.

Casey resumed flipping the channels on the TV, still trying to find something decent to watch. He looked at the clock on the wall, it was near enough dinner time provided everyone was hungry.

"Hey Mikey what we having tonight?" The orange cladded turtle smirked knowingly.

"Pizza of course!" The human teens let out audible groans.

"We had pizza for lunch," April stated, as if that was a good enough reason to not have it again. Mikey pouted, saying they had pizza all the time at home. April rolled her eyes, "Why don't we see what else we have," The turtle reluctantly agreed and the two went into the kitchen to search.

The others settled down in the lounge to watch some TV. Donnie joined Leo on the sofa and Raph took up another armchair. When Casey continued to channel-surf, Don glared at the teen, though he curbed the jab he was about to say when Leo elbowed him in the side. Eventually Raph yelled at him to settle on a channel and they were left with some kind of sci-fi program, much to Leo's enjoyment.

Half an hour later, April called them all into the kitchen for dinner. Raph and Donnie eyed Leo warily, but he walked steadily, if a bit smugly. They were all pleasantly surprised with the feast that had been prepared for dinner. There was indeed some pizza squares that Mikey would no doubt hog for himself, but April had made a variety of other dishes like a buffet. There was a mixture of sandwiches, crisps and salad as well as chips and cooked vegetables.

Everyone tucked in, thoroughly impressed with the two chefs combined effort. April explained that she and Casey would be going to the shop tomorrow to stock up and asked if anyone had any requests. Mikey immediately began to draw up an elaborate list of things he claimed was needed. April shook her head, but listened good-naturedly, gently reminding him that either the little shop they were going to didn't sell those things or they didn't have enough money to spare. The youngest pouted, but soon perked up when Leo confirmed that they were still showing their surprise after dinner.

"What surprise?" Raph asked suspicious that the self-proclaimed Prank King would be striking again.

"Well if we told you it wouldn't be a surprise would it," Mikey replied teasing, poking Raph in the plastron until the elder grabbed his finger and twisted it.

"Raph not at the table," Leo chided, said turtle rolling his eyes but obediently let go, "And don't worry it's not a prank, I think you'll enjoy this surprise,"

"Is it going to take long, I was planning on working on..." Don didn't get to finish as Mikey interrupted.

"Nooo D you have to hang out with us tonight," The youngest put on his best puppy eyed expression and cuddled up to his immediate older brother for extra effect. Donnie sighed and shook his head, no one could say no to that.

"Alright,"

"Yess!"

"Raph?" Donnie questioned, not wanting to risk being the victim of a potential prank alone.

The red cladded brother scowled momentarily, but ultimately nodded. Mikey cheered and ended up knocking the table and spilling juice and water all over.

"Mikey," Leo exclaimed. Luckily they had finished eating anyway, "Grab a cloth and clean this up, the rest of us will do the dishes," The youngest nodded and scampered off.

Leo and Raph took to washing up and drying respectively while April passed up the plates and glasses and Casey helped Mikey with the spilt drinks. When everything was washed and put away, the family went back into the lounge and settled down.

Waiting patiently for Mikey to come back downstairs, Raph and Don kept pressing Leo for information about the so-called surprise, but the eldest held fast and wouldn't budge. April took Casey with her to help make hot chocolates for them all, curious about the surprise also.

When Mikey still hadn't come down, Leo stood up and called up from the bottom of the stairs. The orange-banded brother peaked down and Leo could see the brown book clutched to his chest. He gave a reassuring nod and watched the youngest clamber down, hiding the book behind his shell and even hiding behind Leo's shell to keep their surprise concealed until they got to the sofa.

"So what's this surprise?" Raph asked, emerald eyes still darting back and forth, expecting something to drop on him. That was Mikey's favourite type of prank after all.

"I told you it's nothing bad," Leo repeated, sitting down on the sofa while Mikey remained standing behind it. He jumped over to land next to the eldest and still managed to keep the book concealed. Impressive.

With one final nudge, Mikey brought out the cracked, brown leather-bound book.

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 **Wow I've actually got more to come, probably the only multi-chapter TMNT story that I've got so far and quite possibly the only one for now! It made sense to end it here and I get to all the memories in the next chapter :)**

 **Hopefully the reason why Mikey hides the album in the first place makes sense. I tried to think of a good reason as to why and I thought that since he's conscious of his brothers feelings, probably more than they think he is, it would be a good reason.**

 **I think at this point it's been at least a few weeks since Leo's stopped using the cane, but it can take between three and four months for a knee injury to heal if it's serious. That's why Don is still worried about Leo re-injuring it.**

 **Anyway I hope you enjoyed that and look forward to the next chapter :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter two, for the first time in my TMNT series! So this is the chapter that contains all the photographs and the memories that come with them. Hopefully they are good ones, some are humorous and others are quite touching so a good mixture I think :)**

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The youngest brother fidgeted with the edges of the book as he watched his red and purple banded brothers for a reaction. Green and brown eyes widened at the sight of the family treasure, both stunned to see it actually there before them.

"Where did you?" Don asked breathlessly. Mikey unconsciously shuffled closer to the eldest.

"Found it in my room when we went back to the lair,"

Raph it appeared was in a mixture of awe at seeing the photo album and anger at it being kept from them, "And you didn't think to tell us you had it," He snapped angrily.

"I-I just, I didn't want to. You both seemed so sad when we got here, I didn't want to make it worse,"

The two exchanged a look, but after seeing the glare that the eldest was giving them decided that it was best to just let it go. They got up and knelt down in front of the sofa, reclining against the coffee table.

"So this was the surprise?" Raph asked, smiling as he reached for the album.

The youngest perked up immediately when he realised he wasn't in trouble, "Yeah dude, thought we could have a family night,"

" _You_ thought?" Don asked smirking at the youngest, to which he received the characteristic pout.

"It was a joint effort," Leo said, nudging Mikey with his shoulder.

They were interrupted by a loud barking laugh. Raph had opened the album to a random page and was thoroughly enjoying its content.

"What's so funny?" Don asked, taking the album with no difficulty whatsoever as the elder was rolling around on the floor with mirth. The purple cladded brother took one glance and had to cover his mouth with his hand in an attempt to keep in the snort of laughter. He failed, though was perhaps in more dignified hysterics.

"What?" Leo quizzed, snatching the album off the floor to look as Mikey leaned over his arm. The youngest flushed scarlet at the picture, Leo not helping matters when his body starting shaking with repressed giggles.

April and Casey walked in behind them, each of them carrying two mugs of hot chocolate, and shared a befuddled look before walking around the turtles still rolling on the floor to put down the hot drinks. It was a good thing they did, for when Casey caught a glimpse of the photo on the open page in Leo's lap he too fell apart laughing. The red head teen walked behind the sofa to look properly and started giggling at the orange cladded turtle in the photo.

"What happened there?" She asked.

Raph tried to answer, but found himself too breathless to do so. She turned to Mikey who had taken one of the sofa cushions and pressed his face into it, his cheeks now a dark shade of scarlet. Donnie had just about recovered and wiped a tear from his eye before starting to explain. Mikey had pranked all three of them the day before, each brother with a different prank. He'd filled water balloons with pink paint and thrown them at Raph, attached a confetti cannon to Don's lab door so that he was covered in glitter when he opened the door and placed one of Leo's Katanas on the floor covered in glue, with the blue banded turtle ending up being glued to both his Katana handle and the floor. So the three of them had decided to get their revenge.

By combining the three pranks that had been played on them, Leo, Raph and Don had managed to get their own back on Mikey a few days later. Using pizza as the bait, they had set up a glue trap in the pit of the lair which Mikey had fallen for hook, line and sinker. The youngest had called for help, but was only met with three smirking brothers who did the complete opposite of helping him. Instead they had thrown paint filled water balloons, all with a variety of colours. Donnie had set up several cannons around the glue trap and they discharged, covering both the pit and the glued Mikey with glitter. In the end, the youngest looked like a rainbow had been thrown up on him. Raph had immediately searched out the camera they had and snapped a picture. Of course they got in trouble with Sensei afterwards and had to help clean up both Mikey and the lair, but it had been worth it.

"They got you so good Mike!" Casey managed through his laughter, having found a seat on the floor next to Raph. April sat next to Mikey on the arm of the sofa and took the album from Leo.

"Should we go from the beginning?" She asked, "Or just take turns picking a random page?"

"I say random," Mikey chirped, snatching the album back and closing it with a bang. Leo elbowed him roughly, the youngest muttering an apology to April for being rude, but nonetheless agreed.

"Why don't you go first Mikey," The eldest suggested.

He didn't have to tell him twice and the youngest opened the cover and grabbed all the pages, flipping them until he wanted to stop. He actually stopped quite soon and found one of the first few pictures that had been taken with a proper camera.

"Oh cool I remember that," Mikey said, turning the album so everyone could see it. The other turtles murmured affirmations and Raph explained the photo to the human teens. It was one of their made up games they played before having a proper TV. It was something similar to capture the flag, only they were using one of their masks as the 'flag'. They also took it in turns using their colour for the flag, though the decision wasn't always made universally. The four worked together to make a place to play, using whatever furniture they had to make two dens and a middle that was harder to navigate. They'd split into two teams, or go all against each other sometimes with four dens, and try to keep the 'flag' in their area for more than five minutes.

"Maybe we can play it again while we're here," Leo commented. Casey scoffed at the idea.

"Isn't that a little kids game?"

"It was, but I'm sure we can make it harder and adapt it into our training," The eldest replied, smirking evilly.

"Like Turtle Hunt?" Raph asked smirking just as much, if not more sinister, than Leo.

"Exactly, give me a few days to plan it out and you can help me set it up for them,"

"Sounds like a plan Fearless," They fist bumped while the others sweat-dropped, all too familiar with how calculating and cruel Leo could be in his training.

"Okay moving on," Don said quickly, grabbing the album from Mikey and passing it to April, "We'll go around the circle," He said matter-of-factly.

April closed the book again, briefly inspecting the leather covering before repeating what Mikey did. She went a page or two further than he did and was overcome by the cuteness of the photo.

"Awwww," She crooned, clutching the album in one hand and tracing the photo with the other.

"What?" Raph asked, curious what could have caused such a reaction in their collection of photos.

She turned the album around and this time it was Leo's turn to flush scarlet. For on the page was a sweet photo of him in Splinter's arms as a turtle tot. Everyone aww'd simultaneously, Mikey leaning over to pry Leo's hands away from his face.

"That's sooo cute," April exclaimed.

"I remember that," Don said, "Isn't that when you..."

"No!" Leo yelled, "You guys promised,"

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about Leo, we were only eight," Don reassured him, patting his knee.

"What happened?" April asked, rubbing Leo's shoulder before going back to looking at the cute picture. It was cuter than kitten pictures!

"I had a nightmare," Leo mumbled, refusing to meet anyone's eyes.

"Aw," April cooed again, earning a glare from the eldest, "Nightmares are common when you're a kid,"

"It wasn't the nightmare that was embarrassing," Raph said, "It was the bedwetting,"

"Raph!" Leo exclaimed, curling up in a ball and covering his face again, cheeks flushing furiously. Casey started laughing, incoherently mumbling how funny it was that the fearless leader wet the bed. April thumped the human teen, knocking him over where Raph proceeded to whack him upside the head and wrestle until the teen was pinned under him.

"Raph I can't breathe," Casey managed to say. The red banded turtle was literally sitting on him.

"Say you're sorry," Donnie said in a sing-song voice. He was enjoying seeing Casey trapped like this as punishment for laughing at the eldest and because it was funny. But mostly for Leo.

"'M sorry," He wheezed out and the heavy turtle got off him. Though he still pushed him over again when he sat up.

Mikey tried to pry Leo apart again, but wasn't having much luck. Raph smirked when an idea crossed his mind. Sneaking up beside his older brother, the red banded brother snaked his hands down Leo's sides, causing the elder to jump and squirm at the ticklish feeling. All three brothers joined in, attacking the eldest all over, and soon enough the blue banded brother was heaving on the floor.

Still giggling, Leo told the teens that after the nightmare he'd had, Splinter taken him into his arms and was trying to sooth him to sleep. Their father had figured out how to get each of his sons to sleep after a rough night. For Leo taking him into his arms, gently rocking him and singing a Japanese lullaby almost always did the trick. Needless to say that when the picture was taken he was fast asleep in his father's comforting hold.

"I don't know who took the picture though," Leo looked around at his brothers and noticed Donnie wouldn't meet his eyes, "It was you wasn't it," The purple banded brother just smiled and shrugged, but the mischievous sparkle in his brown eyes said it all.

April meanwhile was still cooing over the picture, so Leo took the album away from her. He looked at the photo himself, not having seen it in a while, and couldn't help but smile himself.

"You miss Splinter?" April asked tentatively.

"Yeah," Leo replied, looking up to see his brother echoing the same sentiment, "But we'll find him," They shared a moment of silent prayer, hoping that wherever their father was, he was safe.

"My turn," Donnie said, accepting the album from Leo. He repeated the actions that the others had, but this time went a lot farther. Here the photos were more high resolution due to the fact that he had managed to get either a better camera or the pictures were taken by their T-Phones.

The purple banded turtle snorted at the picture he found, turning it so everyone could see. Everyone started giggling and laughing at the soap covered turtles depicted in the photo.

"When I was trying to wash the Shellraiser and _someone_ kept getting in the way," Don commented, glaring at the orange banded turtle now giggling uncontrollably, though there was no malice behind it.

The photo depicted three sudsy turtles, Donnie, Raph and Mikey, in front of the Shellraiser, with lots of cleaning supplies around them. Mikey had been messing around earlier that day and so as punishment Leo had sent him to help Don and Raph with cleaning their vehicle. But because it was Mikey, he decided to put waay too much washing up liquid into the tubs and they ended up with a soapy mess.

Leo watched them actually cleaning the Shellraiser until the youngest had gotten bored and started either spraying one of the hoses at his brothers or messing with the soap to make funny beards or other shapes. The blue banded brother snapped the picture just when Mikey had pointed the hose at Raph, stating the hot-head needed to cool down. Donnie was trying to cover himself from the residual spray behind Raph, the cloth he had been using to scrub his baby now being used as a makeshift shield.

"That was the best punishment ever dude," Mikey said, having controlled his giggling.

"Yes I know, it reminds me never to use it again," Leo replied, Don and Raph agreeing.

"Oh never again," Donnie added, "Here Raph," He passed the album to his immediate older brother. Raph paid no attention to how the others had chosen a page, opening the album and continually flipping through the pages until he found one. The youngest whined about the red cladded turtle breaking the rules, but he was soon silenced by a glare from Leo.

"Raph?" The eldest asked, concerned about the melancholy look about his immediate younger brother's face. Leo scooted over to Raph, the latter shifting to hide the photo from view. The elder placed a comforting hand on the younger's shoulder and gave a reassuring smile. With a quiet sigh, Raph showed Leo the photo.

There were only two turtles in the photo, and neither Raph nor Leo could remember who took it. Sitting on one of the sofas in the lair was the red cladded turtle feeding his old pet Spike. Raph still hadn't really gotten over losing his best friend, especially since he had tried to do away with his brothers. Though they had seen him again after that and had almost made peace, Raph always prayed that Slash was safe and would eventually come round to join their side. In the photo Raph had been feeding Spike some lettuce, but it was the serenity adoring his face that made Leo smile.

Leo gently took the album from him, closing it as he did, and nudged him with his shoulder. Raph forced a smile, watching as Leo handed the album to Casey for his turn. The eldest two would talk about it later, when there was no prying eyes around.

Not commenting on the strange performance they just witnessed, the raven haired teen thought it best to stick to the beginning of the album. He looked at the first picture in the album and turned it round.

"Is this you guys?" He questioned.

Mikey and Donnie leaned in to take a look. Leo hung back a little to subtly rub Raph's arm soothingly before the two of them joined the others.

"Yeah we didn't have a camera until I fixed one, so Sensei used to draw us,"

"Sleeping?"

"Well it was probably the only time we all stood still," Leo explained.

"Yeah, Mikey would never sit still for long," Raph added.

"Hey!" Mikey protested, "I wasn't the only one!"

"Yeah, but you were the world's worse for having a short attention span," Don reasoned. The youngest pouted, but soon started smirking as he tackled his immediate elder and the two started rolling around wrestling. They ended up taking Casey with them and Raph dived on top when they rolled over to a more open space.

April jumped up on the sofa to avoid getting caught in their dog pile, Leo joining her. He would have dived in too, but didn't fancy another lecture from their family doctor about injuring himself, so settled for laughing at them instead.

He noted that the hot chocolates that the human teens had brought in earlier had barely been touched. Nodding to April, he gathered two of the mugs up, April grabbing the other two, and headed into the kitchen to dump the now cold liquid.

"Well that was fun," April commented, earning a chuckle from the turtle.

"Yeah it was,"

The two jumped at the sound of a loud crash, April charging into the lounge to find out what had been broken. She bumped Raph on her way in, leaving the red banded turtle with his elder brother.

"Hey,"

"What was that?"

"Nothing," Leo glared, "Nothing that can't be fixed," The elder rolled his eyes and set about washing up the mugs they used. Raph came over, grabbing the tea towel from the counter to dry up the mugs as they were washed. With that done he turned to face Leo, awkwardly rubbing his arm. He never was the best at this.

"Thanks," He said.

"No problem,"

The younger shifted from one foot to the other, then stepped forward to engulf Leo in a warm embrace. Leo stood shocked for a moment before returning it. He smiled and rubbed the younger's shell. It was rare that Raph physically asked for comfort like this.

Leo waited until Raph pulled back, but held his shoulders still, giving them a squeeze, "I'm sure he's safe," He knew that the younger was probably worried about his old pet being captured during the invasion. Raph smiled and nodded.

The two rejoined the other in the lounge to see April dragging Casey to the bottom of the staircase. Apparently he was the one to break one of the vases and so was being banished to his room.

"Aw c'mon Red,"

"You heard her Casey," Leo said sternly, trying desperately to hold in a smirk. Casey glared at the turtle, but trudged up the stairs obediently, albeit making sure to bang his feet loudly on each step. April followed, saying she was going to bed as well.

Leo and Raph joined the other turtles in the lounge and started laughing at the fort the younger two had started to build.

"C'mon bros help us out!" Mikey exclaimed, taking Leo's hand and dragging him over. Raph shook his head and headed for the stairs, to the protest of the youngest.

"I thought I'd fetch our pillows and blankets," He replied and Mikey brightened considerably. Don went up to help him, leaving Leo to help Mikey set up the foundations of the fort.

The youngest pushed the coffee table out the way and the armchairs nearer to the sofa, making sure their backs faced it so they would be able to lay sheets over them. Leo grabbed the cushions and started making a nest. He smiled as it reminded him of the times when they were younger and built forts. Don and Raph came back downstairs, arms loaded with pillows and blankets, and helped to arrange everything.

The four crawled into their newly built fort and although it was a bit of a squeeze, they didn't mind huddling together. Leo snaked one arm around Donnie's shell and brought him closer, using his other hand to pull a blanket over them. Next to him Raph pulled another blanket over himself and Mikey, allowing the younger to cuddle him for tonight only. The youngest wrapped his arms around Raph's waist and snuggled to his side contently. Leo smiled as both Donnie and Raph laid their heads on his chest, Don because he was coaxing him to and Raph apparently still wanted some comfort from earlier. Though he made sure to hide it by pretending to coax him down all the same.

"Leo?" Mikey asked, laying his own head on Raph's chest and nuzzling every now and then.

"Yeah Mikey?"

"What was that song Splinter used to sing to us?"

Leo smiled softly, "The lullaby?"

"Yeah,"

Instead of answering, Leo reached a hand over to rub the younger's head affectionately and started humming a tune. It relaxed the orange cladded brother, who snuggled into Raph's plastron, pulling the blanket tighter over them. Leo kept humming, tightening his hold on his other younger brothers, then started singing softly in Japanese the lullaby their father used to sing.

When he finished the song, the eldest was happy to see all three brothers sound asleep and settled down himself, falling into a blissful sleep besides his brothers.

None of them had noticed a certain red head sneak back downstairs armed with a T-Phone. She managed to snap a picture of the four of them in their fort when the eldest had been singing. She was successful in keeping her aww's contained and tiptoed back up to bed. Today really had been a wonderful trip down memory lane.

* * *

 **And that's another story finished and I'm quite proud of this one.**

 **I must give credit to I Love Kittens too who inspired the idea for the picture of Leo being cradled in Splinter's arms while singing a lullaby. I think Splinter would be a great father when they were younger and it's just so cute an image :D I imagine him singing a Japanese lullaby, since that's where he's from, and I think Leo would probably be the one most likely to remember the words. He seems to be the one who knows the most Japanese and about its culture.**

 **And you guys know what I'm like with the fluffy brotherly stuff! I couldn't resist adding in Leo singing to his brothers ^^**

 **Anyway, the next story I plan to write is outside the season 3 series. It's a request and it's set after the 'Fungus Humungous episode, the aftereffects of the mushroom incident. See you next time :)**


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